Chennai: Higher education minister K Ponmudy has ruled out any change in the fee structure for engineering colleges in government and management quotas this academic year. Talking to newspersons at the secretariat on Thursday, the minister said there was no need to sign an agreement with the Consortium of Self-Financing Professional, Arts and Science in Tamil Nadu on the seat-sharing, as it has already submitted in writing to surrender 50% and 65 % seats in minority and non-minority colleges respectively to the government quota.

In fact, the government has written to the centre to ask deemed universities to surrender 65% to the government quota.

The Centre has to take the decision, he said. Apart from the 278 engineering colleges, the government expects at least 25 new colleges to be approved this academic year and this could push up the number of seats available under the government quota to over 70,000.

Besides, 15 colleges have sought to fill up to 80% of the seats under government quota. The students have the option to pay the fee at the time of counselling or pay at the counters in respective colleges later; the minister said.